Advanced Extension Awards

English S level was the exam, not AEA… I presume Merit is eqivalent to Level 2 (Mod).

Details about the offer

Type of offer: conditional

Other conditions: AAB

Have you accepted the offer? yes

Have you applied to other universities you consider very close, ‘on par’ or even better than oxbridge? (Ivies, Sorbonne, LSE..others for different subjects) yes

Have you received offer(s) from them? yes

Oxford 1st Choice on UCAS Form York 2nd Nottingham 3rd

Have you met the offer? offer met

Decisions about the application

For what reasons did you apply to Oxbridge?

Thought it would be fun 🙂

How did you decide between Oxford and Cambridge?

Visited both cities and preferred Oxford

Why did you choose this college/make an open application?

Visited Open Day. Liked it; thought it was small and friendly.

Preparation

Did your school/college give you any extra tuition or help prior to your interview or application? yes

Had one mock interview with a college English tutor, who had attended Balliol about 30 years back.

Do you have any advice for future applicants in terms of preparation?

The interview: Do as much reading around subject. Pick your favourite author, read 3/4 of his/her works, and bring them up in interview if asked about fav. authors/hobbies – you could also put this on your ‘special’ Oxford application form. (I did Thomas Hardy, for instance).

Interview

Did you have to sit any pre-interview exams (LNAT/BMAT/..)? no

Did you have to submit any written work prior to the interview? yes

Essay on Shakespeare’s ‘Merchant of Venice’ & Eng. Lit coursework on ‘1984’ and ‘Brave New World’. It was basically the only written work I had worth submitting; didn’t do many essays, you see.

Did you have to take any exams as part of your interview(s)? no

How was/were in general your interview(s)?

Had 2 interviews; 1 formal & 1 informal. I thought they went very badly, but I got an offer anyway…they said they liked my responses.